Marine Biology Module 6

anadromous

a life cycle where creatures are hatched in freshwater, migrate to saltwater, and return to freshwater in order to reproduce

demersal

fishes that live on the bottom of the ocean

chromatophores

surface pigment cells that expand and contract to produce various colors

myomeres

bands of muscle along the sides of fishes used for locomotion

gill rakers

projections along the inner surface of fishes’ gills used for filter feeding

migration

the regular movement of an organism from one location to another

catadromous

referring to fishes that migrate from freshwater to reproduce in the ocean 

hermaphroditism

a situation where an animal has the reproductive organs of both sexes

oviparous

a type of development in which eggs are hatched outside a female’s body

ovoviviparous

a type of development in which eggs are hatched inside a female’s body

viviparous

a type of development in which the young obtain their nutrients directly from the mother and are birthed live

purpose of gill rakers

to strain plankton out of the water

process that fishes use to maximize the amount of oxygen they absorb from the water

countercurrent exchange

lateral line

how fishes feel the presence of things in the water

ampullae of Lorenzini

how sharks sense electrical fields underwater